States take lead on mental health

WELCOME TO THE PRO REPORT, where we’re sending kudos to BuzzFeed for finding the key to world peace! (H/t, Lauren French) Check it out: http://bit.ly/16wkl6f. In the meantime, pack up your bag and hit the door. It’s Friday and margarita-time. Email me what’s hot next week: rbade@politico.com. Or tweet me @RachaelMBade and follow @POLITICOPro.

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NUMBERS OF THE DAY: 2026 & 2033. The readout on the Medicare and Social Security trust funds financial reports:

— Medicare meltdown now further away. The health program will start running dry in 2026, according to the new report. That’s two years later than the Treasury’s estimate last year. Why? Slower spending. Of course, that doesn’t mean the program’s long-term financial challenges have vanished. It’s just that judgment day has been pushed off, if you will. So it’s no surprise that the trustees are asking Congress to do something about Medicare’s looming financial doom “as soon as possible.” Pro’s Brett Norman contextualizes: “[T]he crisis is less imminent although Medicare and other entitlement spending will remain hot buttons in the coming fight over the budget and the debt ceiling. Administration officials said the improved outlook reflects changes in health care spending as well as policies put in place under President Barack Obama’s health law. http://politi.co/11tUVNf

— Social Security insolvency stays the same. The retirement program will hit the red in 2033, just the trustees said last year. Here’s The Hill: “Unless Congress acts, Social Security will no longer be able to pay full benefits to retirees after 2033. Only three-quarters of benefits will be delivered after the projected insolvency date. The trust fund that pays disability benefits through Social Security is headed for insolvency in 2016 and will only be able to pay out 80 percent of benefits after that date, the trustees found.” http://bit.ly/18CUhWA

SO WHO CLAIMED VICTORY? BOTH SIDES. Here’s Treasury Secretary Jack Lew: “The Medicare report demonstrates, once again, the importance of the Affordable Care Act, which has strengthened Medicare’s finances by reining in health care costs.”

— Ways and Means Health Subcommittee Chairman Kevin Brady (R-Texas): “This report confirms what Republicans have been saying for some time, doing nothing is not an option. Seniors deserve to know that Medicare is there for the long haul.”

— And that panel’s Social Security subcommittee Chairman Sam Johnson (R-Texas): “This report makes it clear, when today’s 47-year-old workers reach their full retirement age in 2033, they, and everyone else already receiving benefits, face a 23 percent benefit cut unless Congress does its job. The sooner we act the sooner we can protect those who are most vulnerable.”

TREASURY’S PRESS HICCUP. Well, your Pro reporter had planned to cover the Treasury briefing on Social Security (even arriving more than an hour early to get a seat!) — but she got locked out of the building along with almost 10 other journalists, including Sam Baker at the Hill, Fortune senior editor at large Allan Sloan, David Harrison of CQ, and reporters from NBC, FOX News and McClatchy. Note: All said they RSVPed to the event just like us. And all worked frantically with the press office to figure out what was going on — to no avail. Also locked out, a Medicare staffer from Health and Human Services who carried the press releases for the conference. “I have all the press releases; they have to let me in,” the employee protested. Fun times at the Treasury: http://politi.co/19tQr0U

COMING MONDAY: OBAMA HOSTS MENTAL HEALTH CONFERENCE. President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and Education Secretary Arne Duncan are hosting the six-hour deep dive at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. to shine the light on mental health issues, the White House said today. From the announcement: “The conference will bring together people from across the country, including representatives from state and local governments, mental health advocates, educators, health care providers, faith leaders and individuals who have struggled with mental health problems, to discuss how we can all work together to reduce stigma and help the millions of Americans struggling with mental health problems recognize the importance of reaching out for assistance.”

JUST IN TIME … PRO HAS A STORY ON THE STATE OF MENTAL HEALTH POLICY —

STATES TAKE THE LEAD ON MENTAL HEALTH. That’s because Congress is at a standstill on what to do in the wake of the Newtown shooting. Kathryn Smith dives in: “Karmen Hanson, program manager at the National Conference of State Legislatures, said just about every state is looking at some aspect of mental health care, and about two dozen have introduced targeted legislation this year. … The state bills mostly fall into three broad categories: boosting funding, broadening the rules for court-ordered treatment or commitment, and putting in place duty-to-warn standards for mental health professionals to report patients that could be a threat to themselves or others.”

— For mental health advocates, a double-edged sword. True, Newtown brought mental health funding and awareness to the policy forefront. But advocates worry that it’s also reinforcing a negative stigma on those who suffer schizophrenia or type I bipolar disorder. That’s because some perpetrators of mass shootings of late have had these sorts of issues — even though most with mental health struggles aren’t violent at all. A good read: http://politico.pro/ZjbQG4

TWEET OF THE DAY: Baker, one of the stranded journos! “First sign of a good press conference is when both the reporters and press secretaries can’t get inside the building.”

HOT TICKET: MCCONNELL RECORDER SPILLS. Kevin Robillard for POLITICO: “One of the liberal activists responsible for secretly recording a Mitch McConnell strategy session wrote in an essay published Friday that his life has been ‘upended’ by the audio’s release and that he is now facing a grand jury investigation, but declares that he would record McConnell again, given the chance. ‘Here’s the latest: An assistant U.S. attorney, Brian Calhoun, telephoned my attorney yesterday, asking to meet with him next Friday as charges against me are being presented to a grand jury,’ Curtis Morrison wrote for the liberal website Salon.” http://politi.co/17Frtxe

**A message from POWERJOBS: New career opportunities are shared on POWERJOBS.com each and every day. On our radar this week: Chief of Staff at The Brookings Institution, Policy Director at CFSA and Director of Communications at the American Foreign Service Association. To apply for these positions and others, check out POWERJOBS.com, the career site for Washington’s top talent.**

MORE BREAKING ON PRO TODAY —

OBAMA TO PLAY ‘GOOD COP’ WITH XI JINPING. Despite reports that Chinese hackers intercepted sensitive missile defense technology information earlier this week, Obama isn’t expected to lash out at China’s president when he comes acallin’ next week, Pro’s Tony Romm reports. His smart take: “Obama appears unlikely to threaten new punishments when he meets his Chinese counterpart next week in California — or else the White House might risk long-term progress on cybersecurity while hamstringing cooperation on issues like human rights and North Korea. Still, the Beltway’s biggest defense hawks are itching to strike. Members of Congress are weighing whether to limit Chinese visas or erect new market barriers for Chinese companies unless the country stymies its notorious hackers. It’s a stark contrast with the more diplomatic prelude to Obama’s face-to-face sit-down with Chinese President Xi Jinping — but one that might ultimately be to Obama’s long-term advantage. … That approach underscores the reality that there’s no overnight fix to Chinese cyberhacking.” http://politico.pro/11ct85l

LAWMAKERS FIGHT FOR THEIR NONSTOP FLIGHTS. Really fun story by Pro’s Kathryn A. Wolfe and Scott Wong about the nation’s most powerful frequent fliers: “More than 100 House members are urging the Justice and Transportation departments not to force American Airlines and US Airways to shed flight slots at Reagan National as a condition of their pending merger, even though the combined airline would hold the vast majority of slots at the airport closest to the Capitol. At stake, the lawmakers say, is the economic cost of losing nonstop service …”

“Of course, members of Congress have a personal interest as well: They shuttle constantly between their districts and D.C., making them some of Reagan National’s most devoted customers. Lawmakers are also notorious last-minute flight-hoppers, often known for running down the Capitol steps after the last vote of the week, racing to one of the close-up parking spots the airport has reserved for lawmakers, and dashing through security shortly before the plane door closes.” http://politico.pro/1aJ6Igr

GSA DÉJÀ VU, THIS TIME WITH IRS. House Oversight and Government Reform Chairman Darrell Issa might be in the midst of a serious investigation into how and why the IRS targeted conservative groups — but now he’s taking another whack at the agency… this time over its conference spending. You smart Pros remember what happened with the General Services Administration on this front last year. Flashback: Vegas, mind readers, clowns, oh my! Well, Issa’s panel apparently has reason to think some wasteful spending is going on at the IRS, too. They’re bringing in an IRS watchdog to testify on the issue June 6 — the same oversight group that caught the IRS singling out Tea Party applicants. Check out my story: http://politico.pro/ZjfyiS

COMING SOON: AFGHAN TROOP LEVELS. That’s according to retired Marine Gen. John Allen, who said Obama should announce the post-2014 troop number for the country “soon,” per Pro reporter Stephanie Gaskell. He is recommending Obama keep 13,600 American and NATO troops past the 2014 drawdown. “Many of the Afghans who are living on a day-to-day [basis] with operating in 120-degree temperatures [are] seeing our armored vehicles backed on to C-17 transporters,” said Allen. “They’re very attentive about the future; they’re very attentive about where the international community is going to be.” Story: http://politico.pro/13qPFx4

ON TAP NEXT WEEK: The House and Senate return from recess. Oh, how we’ve missed them. The biggies in the House include votes on spending bills for the military, Veterans’ Affairs, and Homeland Security departments. The Senate will work on the ginormous farm bill.

POLICY AROUND THE WEB:

— Strife in Istanbul. Turkish police fired tear gas at protesters on one of the most popular shopping drags in Istanbul. Here’s the BBC: http://bbc.in/11Hr8GV

— Watch out for that … asteroid! Irene Klotz for Reuters: “A large asteroid accompanied by its own small moon was approaching Earth on Friday, the latest in a string of celestial visitors drawing attention to the potential dangers of objects in space.” http://yhoo.it/11tWZ88

— Google’s prepping for its “close up.” The Wall Street Journal on the soon-to-be-released movie, “The Internship” — which comedy about a dude who works at the tech company. http://on.wsj.com/18EIB3o

— Price hike in Japan. Reuters again, from Tokyo: “Apple Inc raised prices of iPads and iPods in Japan on Friday, becoming the highest-profile brand to join a growing list of foreign firms asking Japanese consumers to pay more as a weakening yen squeezes profit.” http://yhoo.it/15i29Jr

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